Review of the new MINI Cooper S JCW

The MINI has been an impressive driver's car since day one and increasingly powerful iterations have only brought more out of the car. The MINI JCW, far from being a bridge too far in the car's development, merely provides the extra power and sharpness for the chassis to shine even brighter. It's not cheap but one suspects that MINI will have no shortage of takers for the John Cooper Works model.

The Cooper S MINIs are quick but buyers who want a MINI with a real glint in its eye tend to hold out for the John Cooper Works models. This is where things get really serious and legendary MINI tuning arm John Cooper gets to grips with the basic Cooper S, producing an even more hardcore MINI. Many will see the results as excessive and JCW MINIS don't come cheap but if you must have the fastest off-the-shelf MINI going, this is it.

MINI and John Cooper go back a long way together and success on the showroom floor was founded on a series of stunning performances in the highest levels of competition. Mini Coopers won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the four years from 1964 to 1967 with only a disputed technical disqualification in the 1966 race preventing a clean sweep of the prestigious event during that period. By 1971 when official production of the Cooper was halted, 150,000 units had been built but John Cooper continued to produce tuning kits and accessories throughout the 1980s as demand for Minis with Cooper magic woven in remained strong. 1990 saw the Mini Cooper resurrected for one last swansong and John Cooper offered Cooper S tuning kits to spice-up that model too. It was, therefore, perfectly apt that the West Sussex firm should get in on the act when it came to transforming the modern MINI into a genuinely accomplished high-performance car.

The basis for the MINI JCW is the Cooper S with its turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. John Cooper obviously doesn't believe in leaving well enough alone because the powerplant is subjected to a raft of modifications that increase its power output from 173bhp to 210bhp. The engine was actually developed for the MINI Challenge one-make race series and benefits from revisions to the air filter and air mass meter as well as a modified turbocharger with a larger air-intake pipe. There's also a tweaked exhaust system and when you listen to the JCW sitting at idle, it leaves you in know doubt that there's some race car DNA under the surface.

"The JCW's 210bhp and hardcore set-up should give it the firepower it needs to succeed."

The exhaust pops and crackles like a highly-tuned competition car and its performance is just as dramatic. The 0-60mph sprint detains the JCW for only 6.5s and there's a 148mph top speed, enough to put the frighteners on some serious performance cars. There's also 260Nm of torque at only 1,850rpm with an overboost function which briefly increases that to 280Nm to give great flexibility.

The MINI JCW rides on specially tuned sports suspension which manages to provide the car with its razor sharp handling focus without proving unbearably harsh on the road. There's also an even more aggressive John Cooper Works suspension set-up that can be ordered through dealerships and reduces the ride height by a further 10mm. The brakes are monsters, the biggest ever fitted to a production MINI. The four-pot Brembo callipers on the front bite down on 17" discs and at the rear the discs are 16" in diameter. The MINI JCW also has a raft of electronic trickery to help it make the most of its power output. The Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Traction Control work in tandem, giving a certain amount of leeway before intervening. They can also be disengaged entirely at which point drivers have the option of engaging the Electronic Differential Lock which splits the torque between the front wheels for optimum grip when cornering hard.

The MINI JCW model can be spotted by its special 17" alloy wheels which, together with their run-flat tyres, tip the scales at 10 kilos each. The John Cooper Works logo also makes an appearance on the grille, the boot and the door trim. In addition, there's a host of styling accessories that, in typical MINI fashion, allow buyers to personalise their vehicles. The interior is finished in Piano Black with an Anthracite roof lining and a leather sports steering wheel. There's also an upgraded sound system with 10 speakers and an eight channel amplifier that's almost powerful enough to drown out the JCW's aggressive exhaust note.

The latest MINI's shoulder line is 18mm higher than on the former model, giving the latest version a more hunched, powerful appearance. It's inside the MINI that more obvious improvements have been wrought. Gone are those indicators that felt like you were snapping a biro every time you used them. The centrally mounted speedometer now houses entertainment and, if specified, navigation functions. The slimmed-down centre console offers more space in the footwells, while the key has been replaced by a round signal sensor that slots next to the steering wheel.

The Clubman estate version of the JCW is 24cm longer overall thanks to the extended rear overhang and that has helped BMW squeeze in 8cm of extra rear legroom while upping the boot capacity from a paltry 160 litres to a respectable 260. There's a Convertible too, with a roof that drops in just 15 seconds.

Pricing for the MINI JCW Cooper S resides on the far side of £20,000 for both the standard model and the Clubman which commands a premium of around £1,200 (the Convertible is more expensive still). This puts the car up against the top echelon of performance hatchbacks. Cars like the Golf GTi and Megane Renaultsport are larger than the MINI but the JCW's 210bhp and hardcore set-up should give it the firepower it needs to succeed. All models get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and there's a Sports button in front of the gearstick which activates a special engine control map for even faster responses. It also quickens the steering for an even more focused driving experience.

Anybody who owned one of the old MINI Cooper S models would laugh aloud at its claimed 33.6mpg consumption figure, since driving the vehicle as it begged to be driven would often send average fuel figures dipping below 20mpg. The contemporary turbo engine in the MINI JCW is a lot easier on the juice, with a combined figure of nearly 41mpg, although this too will dip significantly if you're getting a bit enthusiastic. The old engine wasn't exactly a unit that would win any green awards either, churning out 202g/km of carbon dioxide. The turbo engine does far better at 165g/km with the heavier Clubman and Convertible models fairing slightly worse.

The engineers at John Cooper had a sound platform to build on in the shape of standard MINI Cooper S. With its handling poise and sweet 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, it always looked well capable of accommodating the extra grunt that the John Cooper Works tweaks would inevitably deliver. Sure enough, the MINI JCW thrives on its 210bhp output and sharpened dynamics, making it one of the very fastest small cars on the market.

Upgrades to the engine, suspension, steering and the styling inside and out serve to differentiate the JCW MINIs from the more mundane models in the range. MINI is asking for a substantial sum from those looking to own this ultimate incarnation of the MINI and this may deter some but the thorough job done in creating the John Cooper Works means that value for money is still assured.